Shade Structure: Dynamic Wall & Roof Slats Filter the Sun

By dornob

The plan for this complex house is surprisingly simple, but the walls and roofs bend and deform to reflect the path (and light) of the sun – and the slats add creative character that is neither accidentally abstract nor whimsically artistic.

Australian architecture firm Harrison and White used computer models to create pre-construction simulations that traced the path of daylight from sunup to sundown, and every place in between.

Reverse-shading techniques were used to project lighting conditions throughout the day and place angles, slopes and spaces accordingly both inside and out.

Between these solar-inspired choices and privacy-related design decisions, the final result is a complicated object that stands apart in an otherwise traditional neighborhood, but that also shapes exterior patio, porch, deck and balcony spaces to balance views, greenery and seclusion in a densely-built area.

For the price tag (less than a half-million dollars), it is really quite surprising how much complexity the builders were able to accomplish. Many architects have rule-of-thumb approaches that limit odd angles to one-per-project, while this one has more on a single side than you can easily count.